Tank-wagon emergency-valve mechanism



L EEZWW Sept. 11; 1923.

G. L. E. EMMICH TANK WAGON EMERGENCY VALVE MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. ll, 1921 4 mvron ATTORlI/E I Sept. 11, 1923.

. 11,467,711? G. L. E. EMMICH TANK WAGON EMERGENCY VALVE MECHANISM Filed Aug. 11, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR x aw Sept. 11, 1923. 11,467,711?

G. L.. E. EMMICH TANK WAGON EMERGENCY VALVE MECHANISM Filed Aug. 11, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 V l/VVE/V TOR Sept. 11, 1923.

G. L. E. EMMICH TANK WAGON EMERGENCY VALVE MECHANISM Filed Aug. 11, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR %M 7 Patented Sept. llll, 1923.

UNT STATES 1,467,717 PATENT @FFMZE.

GEORGE L. E. EMMICH, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO AUGUSTINE DAVIS, JR, 015

COVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

TANK-WAGON EMERGENCY-VALVE MECHANISM.

Application filed August 11, 1921. Serial No. 491,641.

To all wk am it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. E. EMMICH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tank-Wagon Emergency-Valve Mechanism, of which the following is'a specification.

This invention relates to valve-control mechanism for tanks, more especially for vehicle tanks or tankwagons. Specifically, the invention is an improvement in the mechanism for controlling the emergency valves of oil-tank wagons disclosed in the Davis and Betts application Serial No. 381,575, filed May 15, 1920, though it is not necessarily limited in its application.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a compartmented tank-wagon embodying the invention, a portion of the wall of the bucketbox being broken away'in order that parts within may be indicated, the mechanism being in the open condition.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale of the rear portion of the tank and the bucket-box, with wall portions broken away and parts within shown partly in section and partly in elevation and the pipe from the emergency valve outlet of the rear compartment being shown broken away, the

mechanism being in the closed condition;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view on a still larger scale, showing parts within and above the bucket-box, the upper part of said box being cut away and its door being seen in section; a

Fig. 4 is a side sectional elevation on a still larger scale, illustrating more especially the thermal release device. which is seen in its normal condition, the operating lever being caught in position to hold the valves open; and

Fig. 5 'is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4, in the actuated condition.

The tank 1 of the tank truck illustrated in Fig. 1 has compartments 2, 3, and a bucket-box & at the rear end of the tank, the whole constructed and supported upon the chassis or mounting in an approved manner. The-bucket-box has a rear door 5, which may be of the top-hinged variety, as indicated in Fig. 1, wherein the door is represented as being open and the operating handle 6 pulled out to open the emergency valves 7 commanding the bottom outlets 8 of the tank compartments. From said outlets pipes 9 extend rearward beneath the tank and bucket-box and terminate in the usual delivery faucets 10 at the rear of the vehicle. The emergency valves are contained in the lower portions of the compartments and are preferably of the construct-ion covered by the Davis and Betts Patent No. 1,284,063, granted November 5, 1918. They are unseat-ed by pulling them upward and closed downwardly by the action of springs 11, which are preferably incorporated in the valve structures.

Operating connections, marked generally 12, pass upward from the emergency valves through stulfing-boxes 13 in the top of the tank, above which their guided rod portions 14: connect with bell-cranks 15 in brackets .16. The depending arms of these bellc-ranks engage and support pivotally fittings 17 on a control rod 18, which extends longitudinally over the top of the tank and the bucket-box. The rear end of said control rod is pivotally connected to a crank 19 on the upper end of a vertical rock-shaft 20, which passes through the top of the bucketbox and is supported therein and by a bra/cket 21 bolted to a shelf 22. end of the rock-shaft 20, below said bracket, is pinned the handle lever 6, which in the closed condition of the emergency valves lies at the inner side of the closed door 5 in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

In order to unseat the emergency valves to permit the oil to the operator opens the door of the bucketbox, and, grasping the handle portion of the lever, which is broken off in Fig. 3 pulls the lever outwardly of the door-opening. In this position the lever and the remainder of the valve mechanism are held against the action of the springs 11 tending to close the valves by a catch 23 which preferably comprises a bottom block or flange 24 carried by the bracket 21 and presenting a holding shoulder 25. with which cooperates a tail piece 26 of the handle lever, the pin 27 connecting the lever to the rock-shaft permitting the lever to be tilted so as to move said tailpiece vertically into and out of engage ment with said shoulder as indicated by the positions of Figs. it and 5. "When the. tail piece is caught behind the shoulder, the

To the lower w pass to the rear faucets,"

handle lever is held projecting outwardly through the door-opening in the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3. An interlock is thus constituted between the valve mechanism and the bucket-box door, whereby the door is open when the emergency valves are open and whereby the valves must be closed when the door is closed. To effect closing of the valves, the operator raises the weight of the lever 6, so as to carry the tail piece 26 down below the shoulder 25, whereupon the valve springs 11 act upon the mechanism to close the valves and to move the tail piece in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 5, the handle being swung in the reverse direction into the box, clearing the door 5, which can then be closed and locked. In these respects the mechanism is substantially like that of the Davis and Betts application Serial No. 381,57 5, aforesaid.

The present invention provides means whereby the valves are also closed, automatically, in event of fire, which occasionally occurs at the rear end of the vehicle when oil or gasoline is being drawn from the faucets. To this end a thermal device is provided, which is preferably a fusible wire device, though it may be of other suitable character responsive to rise in temperature. In the preferred embodiment this thermal device acts in connection with the catch, which holds the valve mechanism open, and since the catch element 24, as illustrated, is fixed, it operates upon the cooperating movable member or lover G, and in the construction shown in the drawings a spring barrel 28 is formed or mounted on the bracket 21 over, the tail piece 26 and in this barrel stands a plunger 29 which is urged downward by a spring 30. The upper portion of the plunger which passes through a guide opening 31 in the topof the spring barrel is notched, as indicated at 32,-in order to present a shoulder which abuts the nose or short arm of a lever 83, which is pivotally fulcrumed at 34 in lugs on the top of the barrel. The long arm of this lever is tied by a fusible wire 35 to a sub-bracket 36,thereby through the intermediary of the lever 33 holding the plunger 29 retracted against the tension of the spring 30 and out of engagement with the tail piece 26 of the operating lever, though in operative relation to trip the latter off the catch shoulder 25 should the wire become fused, as represented in Fig. 5. The spring then shoots the plunger downward, kicking the tail piece away from the fixed catch element, as seen in Fig. 5, whereupon the valve springs immediately act to close the emergency valves. The subbracket 36 is desirably formed with a fork 37, the members of which project upward adjacent the fuse wire, so as to protect the same from damage.

It will therefore be perceived that if a fire should occur in the region of the faucets when the emergency valves are open and the bucket-box doors therefore also open, the heat will quickly reach the thermal device and cause the emergency valves to close,

'- thereby cutting off all further supply to the blaze.

In conclusion, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made without departing from the invention. Instead of the spring plunger, other forms of actuator may be employed.

I claim:

1. The combination with a tank having a bottom outlet, of a valve cooperative with said outlet, a spring active to close said valve, operating mechanism connected with the valve for effecting opening and closing thereof and having a catch for holding the valve open, and a thermal device for releasing said mechanism from the catch to close under the action of the spring.

2. In a tank-wagon having a tank pro vided with a bottom outlet and a pipe leading therefrom and terminating in a faucet at the rear end, a valve for said outlet, a spring active to close said valve, operating mechanism passing from the valve to the rear end of the tank for effecting opening and closing of the valve, means for holding said mechanism and valve open, and a thermal device at the rear end of the vehicle for releasing the mechanism.

3. In a tank-wagon having a tank provided with a bottom outlet and a pipe leading therefrom and terminating in a faucet at the rear end, and a bucket-box at the rear end of the tank; a valve for said outlet, a spring active to close said valve, operating mechanism passing from the valve to the bucket-box where there is means for holding the valve open, and a thermal device in the bucket-box for releasing the valve mechanism.

' 4. In a tank-wagon having a tank provided with a bottom outlet and a pipe leading therefrom and terminating in a faucet at the rear end, and a bucket-box at the rear end of the tank provided with a door; a valve for the bottom outlet, a spring active to close the valve, mechanism passing from the valve into the bucket-box and there provided with a catch and an operating lever so arranged as to compel the valve to be closed in order that the door may close, and a thermal device in the bucket-box for releasing the valve mechanism.

5. The combination with a tank having an outlet, of a valve cooperative with said outlet, a spring active to close the valve, an operating hand lever connected with the valve, a catch with which said hand. lever is engageable to hold the valve open. and a thermal device operative upon the lever to release it from the catch.

6. The combination with a tank having an outlet, of a valve cooperative with said outlet, a spring active to close the valve, an op erating hand lever connected with the valve, a catch with which said hand lever is engageable to hold the valve open, an actuator mounted inoperative relation to the lever to disengage the same from the catch, and thermal means for releasing said actuator to trip the operating lever. v

7. The combination with a tank having an outlet, of a valve cooperative with said outlet, aspring active to close the valve, valve operating mechanism comprising a handle and connections from the same to the valve,

vand a catch member cooperative with a member of said operating mechanism to hold the valve open, of an actuator in operative relation to one of said members to disengage the same, and thermal means for releasing said actuator to cause closing of the valv;

'0. The combination with a tank having an outlet, a valve cooperative with'said outlet, a spring active to close the valve, valve-operating mechanism comprising a handle and connections from the same to the valve, and catch member cooperative with a. member of said operating mechanism to hold the valve open, of an actuator inoperative relation to one of said members to disengage the same, anda fusible element restraining said actuator.

9. The combination with a tank having an outlet, a valve cooperative with said outlet, aspring active to close the valve, valve-operating mechanism, comprising a handle and connections from the same to the valve, and a catch member cooperative with a member of said operating mechanism to hold the valve open, of a spring-plunger in operative relation to one of said members to disengage the same, a lever engaged with said plunger, and a fusible wire tying said lever.

10. In a tank-wagon having a tank provided with a bottom outlet and a pipe leading therefrom and terminating faucet, a valve for said outlet, a spring active to close said Valve, operating mechanism for effecting opening and closing of the valve, means for holding said mechanism and valve open against the action of the spring, and a thermal device for releasing the mechanism to cause the valve to close in event of a fire.

GEORGE L. E. EMMICH.

in a dispensing 

